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PHILADELPHIA – Second-year power forward Arnett Moultrie failed to find significant playing time on one of the worst teams in 76ers history and was assigned to the NBA Development League's 87ers on Saturday, the Sixers announced.

It's a potentially troubling development for the former first-round draft pick, and for the Sixers, who still owe a lottery-protected first-round selection to the Boston Celtics, via the Miami Heat, to complete a draft-day trade for Moultrie in 2012. The pick converts into two second-round selections if the Sixers fail to make the playoffs next season.

"I was not giving him the minutes here, and he needs to go play extended minutes," Sixers coach Brett Brown said. "It's not really a fitness issue entirely. It's a tiny bit that, but I'd say that about anybody. … He's a young player, he was a first-round draft pick, he needs to play, and if it's not happening here, it's got to happen somewhere else, and that's why we're so lucky to have our D-League team 40 minutes down the road."

Moultrie (6-11, 249) was averaging three points and 2.9 rebounds in 15.6 minutes per game with the Sixers this season. The 23-year-old made his season debut in February, after undergoing left ankle surgery in September, and played in 12 games, including two starts, both at center and immediately following the NBA trade deadline on Feb. 20, when Philadelphia dealt starting center Spencer Hawes and reserve big man Lavoy Allen.

The Sixers have been using recent acquisitions Henry Sims and Jarvis Varnado at center, and Thaddeus Young dominates the playing time at power forward.

"I'm playing Thaddeus as long as I can, until he falls over, and there just is no minutes," Brown said. "He's a 4 man. … He's no center. What's he going to go guard Marc Gasol? Is he going to guard [Roy] Hibbert? Is he going to guard Joakim Noah? He's not a center. And so with that, there is limited opportunities to play him. That's how I see it, and he's just got to go down there and play."

In three appearances with the Sevens earlier this season, Moultrie averaged 14 points and six rebounds in 26 minutes per game.

Moultrie averaged 3.7 points and 3.1 rebounds in 11.5 minutes per game with Philadelphia last season, when he appeared in 47 contests as a rookie with the Sixers.

He was originally selected out of Mississippi State by the Miami Heat with the 27th overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft.

Brown said Moultrie wasn't particularly happy about being sent back to the D-League.

"Everybody's competitive. They want to try to prove they can get it done here, and I respect that," Brown said. "But I think it'll serve him well if he handles it well and he goes down there and really plays basketball."

Anderson injured

Starting shooting guard James Anderson suffered a right quad contusion midway through the fourth quarter Saturday and did not return. He finished with four points on 2 of 11 shooting.

Davies returns

Rookie power forward Brandon Davies checked into the game late in the fourth quarter, marking his first playing time since missing nearly two months after surgery for a broken finger. He had one point, a rebound and an assist in 4 1/2 minutes. His last appearance was Jan. 18 at Chicago.

Johnson-Odom debuts

In his Sixers debut, Darius Johnson-Odom scored no points on 0 of 5 shooting in 10 1/2 minutes of playing time. He grabbed two rebounds and had one assist.

The Sixers signed Johnson-Odom to a 10-day contract on Friday and released point guard Lorenzo Brown.